One Night
by TeamByakugan
Summary: Sasuke shows his vulnerable side in the middle of the night.


It was hard to find peace and quiet in Konoha that night. Thuds of raindrops fell on the rooftops of houses as branches of trees fell all over the place. The wind blew mightily uprooting several trees and swinging debris around the area. Nothing could clearly be seen after all lights shut off with the loss of electricity.

In the midst of this chaos, she sat watching him peacefully drift off to sleep. It was noisy outside but the opposite was reflected on his features. He lay calmly with a blanket covering half of his torso. Breathing steadily, he slept with his palms by his side, turned outward. There were hardly any other things visible except for the moonlight from the window creating shadows on his face. He was a vision of serenity, a reflection of a sleeping angel.

Slowly, she touched his forehead to brush the bangs that shadowed his long lashes.

"Sasuke-kun." She whispered softly stroking his spiky raven hair.

They were alone together in the Uchiha mansion, far away from the rest of the village. The war had finally come to an end. He returned home. But all the fighting took the strength out of him. He needed to heal and she promised herself she'd be there for him always.

But even though he was home, everything wasn't back to normal yet. He constantly locked himself up in his room and spent his days alone again. He didn't want to see anyone, not even the boisterous brat who considered him as his best friend. And she worried about him, like she always did.

"Just give him some time." Kakashi-sensei told her. "He'll readjust soon."

He may seem tough and indifferent on the outside but deep inside, she knew he was longing for love and affection. Nobody else knew how he also got tired of being alone. Only she did, which was why she never stopped braving the abandoned Uchiha village to check on him. And he knew she cared about him, so he left the door open as soon as he sensed her chakra signature so she can visit him.

But just like before, things between them didn't change. It was always silence. He'd never say a word and she eventually stopped bugging him to tell her something. Kakashi-sensei was right. He just needed time and she was willing to wait no matter how long it would take.

The wind blew stronger and she instinctively wrapped her kimono tighter around her body. It was getting chilly and she wanted to make sure he was warm. Gently, she pulled his blanket higher so it would rest below his chin and continued to stroke his hair.

He didn't seem to stir even as she stroked his hair gently. She knew he was a light sleeper and didn't want anyone to touch him physically. It was unusual that his senses seemed to be off this time. He should've woken up and sensed her presence but he did not.

"_Exhaustion, perhaps." She thought to herself._

"Sleep well, Sasuke-kun." She whispered before giving him a light peck on the forehead.

She watched him sleep for a few seconds before getting up to leave. As she quietly made her way to the door, a loud thud echoed through the room. It was as if a giant log fell on top of the roof. She turned back to face him.

_Thud!_

There it went again. His arm was now out of the blanket and banging on the wooden headboard. The thunder roared as the rain continued to pour in torrents.

"Sasuke-kun!"

She ran back to check on him.

He was mumbling words she could not understand. His once peaceful form was replaced with a turmoiled one. His arms were flailing wildly occasionally banging on the headboard and the blanket was now on the floor. He kept twisting and turning and kicking the air while grunting. He sounded like he was in pain.

"Sasuke-kun!"

She screamed but he didn't seem to hear her. He was still asleep. His eyebrows were now knitted but his eyes remained shut as he continued to toss and turn wildly. Droplets of water now began to enter the room as the strong wind blew the window open.

"Mother! Father!"

Finally, she was able to understand what he was screaming.

"No! You can't be my brother. Go away! Aahhh!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"I swear… I'll kill you and take away every single person that mattered to you."

She could see his hands balling into fists as tears streamed from his eyes.

"No!"

He kept tossing, turning, and kicking. His hands were now holding his head.

"Stop! I don't want to see this anymore."

He was crying and in pain.

"Just… leave me alone!"

"Get me out of here… just"

"**Stop!"**

_Boom!_

The thunder shook the house and the lightning cracked cutting off a large branch of a nearby tree. Without hesitation, she gathered him up into an embrace, stroking his hair as she lay his head on her shoulder. The heavy rain drowned his screams and continued to sob frantically.

"I don't want… I don't want this anymore!"

He wrapped his arms around her and cried on her shoulder as she quietly stroked his back in soothing circles.

"Just please… leave me alone…" He whimpered quietly.

She held him tightly as he continued to sob quietly. Even at this stage, he was still frequented by nightmares of losing his family. A silent tear escaped from her eye as she held him close to her. He always showed his tough side and never showed anyone the hurt he felt inside.

"Oh Sasuke-kun…" She sighed while stroking his hair. "Shhh… It's okay now."

He eventually stopped sobbing but his grip on her remained firm. The rain began to fall in soft pitter patters and the wind ceased blowing strongly. Gone were the thunder and lightning that came along with it. He was now breathing steadily returning back to his peaceful slumber.

"Mother…Don't leave me. I'm scared."

"Sasuke-kun… I'm not…"

"Hn." was all he said before going back to his deep sleep. The whole time, he wasn't aware of Sakura's presence in the room. She continued to stroke his hair and hold him close to her. The rain finally came to a stop and birds began to chirp.

Rays of sunlight glistened as the clouds parted signalling a new day. His eyes caught the sunlight as he squinted until finally opening his eyes. Scanning the surroundings, he jolted upon seeing a burst of pink framing his face.

"What am I doing?! Sakura?!"

He pulled back from their embrace but wasn't able to shake her awake. She was now sleeping deeply, unaware of what was happening. Gently, he lay her on the bed and pulled the blanket below her chin. After which, he slowly got up and made his way to the bathroom. He was not going to let her go so easily, demanding to know what happened last night.


End file.
